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PROSPECTUS 


OF THE 


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TEMPORARY OFFICE, 


J\^os, 04 and 06 Broadivay^ JSfeiv Ymdc» 


NEA¥ YORK: 

\VM. O. BRYANT & CO., PRINTERS, 41 NASSAU ST., COH. LTBERTA". 

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PROSPECTUS 


or the 



TEMPORARY OPPICE, 

jS^os* 64 and 66 Broadivay^ New York, 







KEW roRKi 

L U. BRYANT ^ CO., PRINTERS, 41 NASSAU ST., COR. LTBERTY; 


1866 . 








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AMERICAN BUREAU OF MINES 


Presidentf 

GEO. D. II. GILLESPIE. 

.. Vice-^residenly 

FRANCIS TOMES, Jr. 

2 i'e usurer, 

P. C. CALHOUN. 

Secretary, 

DRAKE DE KAY. 

Sioard of Trustees, 

Geo. D. H. Gillespie. 

Francis Tomes, Jr. 

P. C. Calhoun, President Fourth Kational Bank. 
Chas. Aug. Davis. 

Fred. Schuchardt, of F. Schucliardt & Sons. 

E. Caylus, of Cajlns, De Ruyter & Co. 

Eugene Kelly, of Eugene Kelly & Co. 

J. F. Sciiepeler, of Schepeler & Co. 

Chas. Holzapfel, of Troost, Schmidt & Co. 

Wu. F. Drake, of Drake Brothers. 

Geo. F. Dunning, Supt. of U. S. Assay Office. 

R. E. Mount, Jr. 

Theodore Gentil, of Gentil & Phipps, 



BOARD OF EXPERTS. 


Dr. F. a. P. BARNARD, President of Columbia College and School of 
Clines. 

Dr. JOHN TORREY, Assayer of the U. S. Assay Office. 

Dr. JUSTUS ADELBERG, of Adelberg & Raymond. 

Dr. ALEX. TRIPPEL, late Engineer of the Lehigh Zinc Works. 

Dr. J. P. KIMBALL, Mining Engineer. 

Prof. FRANCIS L, VINTON, of the School of Mines of Columbia College. 
Prof. THOMAS EGLESTON, Jk., “ “ “ 

Prof. C. F. CHANDLER, “ . 

C. ELTON BUCK, Esq., of Partz & Buck. 

W. P. TROWBRIDGE, Esq., of the Novelty Iron Works. 

R. W. RAYMOND, Esq., of Adelberg & Raymond. 

Dr. HERMAN CREDNER, Geologist and Mining Engineer. 




PROSPECTUS. 


THIS BUREAU has been organized as a Joint Stock Com¬ 
pany, under the laws of the State of hfew York, for the purpose 
of assisting to place the mining enterprise of this country on a 
sure and conservative basis. 

The mineral resources of America are boundless. The one 
great requisite for their development is capital; and capital can 
only be had by offering guaranties of reliable information and 
scientific skill. 

The necessity for some change is apparent to all who have 
observed the condition of American mining business. In the 
monarchical countries of Europe, where all the applications of 
science to industry have been wrought by the authority and 
wealth of Governments, where the central power has regulated 
ocean navigation, the construction of railways, municipal im¬ 
provements, the exploitation of mines, and the utilization of 
minerals—mining is one of the most conservative and reliable 
interests of the State. Whatever may be the disadvantages of 
such a condition of things, it has at all events preserved an ele¬ 
ment of stability in the development of natural resources, and 
effected the steady and uninterrupted progress of economical 
science in the Old World. 

It would be neither possible nor desirable to transplant to our 
country the system of Europe; yet something is needed to 
complement the restless individual activity which inspires our 
national industry. This activity has brought to light, with un¬ 
paralleled energy and rapidity, the mineral resources of America; 
but it is inadequate to their systematic development. Mining 
is carried on by temporary excitements; and too often without 
the necessary knowledge and skill on the one hand, and the 
equally necessary guaranties of capital and perseverance on the 
iOther, To-day, there is a petroleum fever; to-morrow, a copper 


6 


fever; the next day, a gold fever, and so on ; followed by the 
natural reactionary chills, called panics.” Nor are any pains 
taken to preserve the records of dear-bought experience as a 
guide for the future. Ten thousand holes have been bored in 
the rocks of Yenango, and not a single important discovery 
made as to the laws of the occurrence of rock-oil; because igno¬ 
rance and selfishness could not observe and truthfully record 
the facts of Nature. In the same way thousands of mines have 
been opened all over the country w’ithout proper caution, skill, 
and decision. Many valuable ones have been abandoned for 
want of capital or courage, or ruined by the incompetency and 
dishonesty of agents. Many worthless ones have been worked 
with foolish pertinacity and extravagance; and, failing to re¬ 
munerate their owners, have reflected discouragement on meri¬ 
torious undertakings. Asa consequence, the minds of capital¬ 
ists engaged in mining alternate between extravagant hope and 
equally extravagant despairand this will continue to be the 
case, so long as fickle speculation, without scientific knowledge 
and without administrative skill, is the only motive power in 
this great branch of industry. 

A second cardinal deficiency is that of skillful and honest 
mining superintendents and engineers. Hitherto we have been 
obliged to rely upon the schools of Europe for educated engineers 
of this class, or be content with illiterate common miners, ad¬ 
vanced to the dignity of “captains.” Indeed,.many persons 
who did not pretend to any experience in mining whatever have 
been placed in charge of complicated and difiicult work, without 
any other recommendation than that they needed the position, 
and had influence enough to obtain it. The new School of 
Mines of Columbia College, with its thorough course and efiicient 
teachers, has begun to remove this evil; and already ranks 
in point of the number of students among the foremost mining 
academies of the world. The graduates of an American institu¬ 
tion should receive a generous appreciation from American 
companies. The mere fact of graduation, however, and the 
diploma of a celebrated school, do not constitute a good en¬ 
gineer, still less a capable and trustworthy superintendent; and 
there should be furnished, if possible, some additional guaranty 
of skill and experience. 


The American Bureau of Mines proposes ‘ 

1. To protect the public against swindling schemes, by fur¬ 
nishing disinterested and authoritative information as to the 
value of mineral properties. 

2. To enable mining companies and individuals to obtain for 
responsible positions men whose qualifications have been satis¬ 
factorily ascertained. 

3. To assist chemists, metallurgists, engineers, and others, 
with all necessary scientific information and practical advice. 

4. To aid the proprietors of valuable lands or mines in the 
development of the same, by putting them into communication 
with capitalists, and by lending to their plans the influence of 
the Bureau. 

5. To place at the disposal of individuals or corporations the 
services of a distinguished Board of Experts as consulting en¬ 
gineers, in all matters connected with mining and metallurgy. 

In order to effect most successfully these important objects, 
the Bureau has engaged the following twelve eminent mining 
engineers and professors of chemistry, metallurgy, and mechanics: 

Dr. F. A. P. Barnard, President of Columbia College and 
School of Mines. 

Dr. John Torrey, Assayer of the U. S. Assay Office. 

Dr. Justus Adelberg, Metallurgist and Engineer. 

Dr. Alex. Trippel^ late Engineer of the Lehigh Zinc Works. 

Dr. J. P. Kimball, Mining Engineer. 

Prof. Francis L. Vinton, of the School of Mines of Columbia 
College. 

Prof. Thomas Egleston, Jr., “ ‘‘ “ 

‘‘ C. F. Chandler, 

C. Elton Buck, Esq., Chemist and Metallurgist. 

W. P. Trowbridge, Esq., of the Kovelty Iron Works. ♦ 

Dr. Hermann Credner, Geologist and Mining Engineer. 

K. W. Kaymond, Esq., Mining Engineer. 


Tliese gentlemen constitute tlie Board of Experts of the 
American Bureau of Mines. To them all questions of a scien¬ 
tific or professional nature will be referred. They will have full 
control of their own operations, investigating the matters sub¬ 
mitted to them as they may deem proper, and being bound only 
to render their reports as promptly and fully as possible, and to 
entertain no business as a Board except the business of this 
Bureau. 

They will be paid for their services by the Bureau, and stand 
in a position to give disinterested and tlioroughly trustworthy 
reports. The character and reputation of these gentlemen are 
of themselves a guaranty that the Board they constitute will be 
unimpeachable in ability and integrity. 

Tinder the supervision of this Board, the Bureau will establish: 

A Library, containing standard works on scientific subjects, 
law books, judicial decisions concerning mineral industry, and 
the records and opinions of jurisconsults and men of science ; 

A Beading-room, supplied with the best European and Ameri¬ 
can scientific magazines, newspapers, and periodicals, reports of 
engineers, chemists, directors of mines and metallurgical works, 
geological and mineralogical maps and descriptions, current 
prices of ores and metals in the principal markets, and the daily 
prices of mining stocks in Hew York, Boston, and other cities; 

Also a Cabinet of native and foreign ores, witli models of 
machines, tools, and implements for the extraction of ores, and 
their metallurgical treatment. 

The Bureau is expected to be a self-supporting institution, by 
virtue of its revenues from the following sources, viz.: 

1. The fees paid for the reports of the Board of Experts, and 
for examination of candidates. 

2. The fees of annual subscribers, and fees for registration of 
lands submitted for examination and reports. 

3. The fees for assay and analysis, and for the various infor* 
mation, advice, assistance and opinions which the Bureau shall 
undertake to furnish; 


9 


The scale of prices fixed by the Bureau will commend itself to 
every one as moderate and reasonable. It would be impossible 
at thrice these rates to obtain in any other way the assistance of 
so eminent a Board of Experts. 

Subscribers will receive by the payment of an annual sum of 
money the privilege of the free use of the library, reading-room 
and cabinets, with the assistance and explanations of a competent 
person in charge of the same; also a reduction in the amount ot 
fees to be paid for the services of tl^e Board of Experts, in deter¬ 
mining the value of mineral property or otherwise. It is ex¬ 
pected that the great benefits resulting to the mining industry 
of the country from this institution, and the inducements spe¬ 
cially held out to subscribers, will move many to avail them¬ 
selves of this provision, and to subscribe for the first year. 

A 'word may be added as to the examination of candidates for 
responsible positions. The Bureau will recommend no one for 
such a position who shall not have received the endorsement of 
the Board of Experts. It is true, that many accomplished and 
worthy men are unable, especially at a time when they are out 
of place and seeking employment, to pay even the moderate fee 
required for examination; but employers who contemj)late the 
engagement of such men for responsible positions would cheer¬ 
fully bear this slight expense to be assured of their qualifications. 

Particulars of the mode in which the Bureau wdll operate, may 
be found in the rules soon to be published. The Board of 
Trustees will modify these rules as experience may dictate. It is 
confidently believed that the plan as at present elaborated is 
essentially good; and that on this basis will arise a beneficent 
and durable institution. 








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